The Los Angeles Lakers missed a big opportunity to take a measure of control in the Western Conference Finals when they lost Game 2 to the Denver Nuggets, 108-103.
LeBron James struggled to connect on outside shots, going 0-of-6 from 3-point range, but teammate Austin Reaves seems okay with him taking any shot he feels is a good shot.
Austin Reaves: “Let him shoot all he wants. It’s LeBron James … We want him taking what he feels comfortable with. He’s a winning player”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 19, 2023
Overall, James did shoot 9-of-19 from the field and scored 22 points while coming one rebound shy of a triple-double. But he did have a few uncharacteristic miscues, including a botched dunk attempt on a breakaway in the first half, and he committed three turnovers on the night.
He was fairly aggressive and effective driving to the basket, and in general, he has been attacking the hoop more often in his last few games than he was early in the playoffs and late in the regular season.
A few of James’ missed treys helped spark a fateful Denver run in the fourth quarter, but Reaves tried to bring L.A. back late with a couple of 3-pointers, one of which trimmed the Nuggets’ lead to two. The undrafted guard had 22 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and hitting five 3-pointers.
That Denver run came after the Lakers led by 11 points at one juncture. Jamal Murray was the major impetus offensively behind that run, and he finished the game with 37 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and six triples.
As was the case in Game 1, Los Angeles got outrebounded. Down the stretch, the Nuggets appeared to be fresher, though both teams seemed to be pretty tired.
The Lakers will now head home for Game 3 and Game 4 and look to regroup. They’re undefeated at home so far in the postseason, but Denver is by far the best team they have faced in quite some time, and winning both of the next two contests will be a mighty challenge.
